Rei's Day Off
by Ammadeau
Summary: Rei sees an advertisement on the way to school that confuses her, so she tries to find out what it means.


Rei's Day Off  
By Ammadeau  
With the invaluable assistance of Miss Lara Bartram  
(who wrote a few bits, came up with many of the ideas, and most   
importantly, provided whole truckloads of encouragement)  
  
At exactly 8:00, six days a week, Rei left for school. She   
always took the same route and walked at the same moderate pace,   
so the journey always took her approximately ten minutes, which   
meant she arrived at school twenty minutes before it started. Rei   
felt that this was a sufficient margin of error.  
Eyes ever alert, Rei often noticed little changes in the route   
she took day after day. For instance, at the intersection before the   
park, there was a mostly empty coffee cup and cigarette with   
lipstick on it in the gutter on Monday. But on Thursday it was   
gone. Rei noted this discrepancies, catalogued them, and then   
moved on, never letting them halt her progress.  
On this particular Saturday, she noticed more significant   
differences, namely brightly-colored posters that adorned many   
surfaces. As far as she could tell from a casual glance, they all   
seemed to be nearly the same, proclaiming something called an   
'amusement park.'  
After passing the twelfth such poster, and the second one   
which had been ripped in the lower right-hand corner, Rei stopped   
and glanced at her watch. She was slightly behind schedule after   
being distracted by the posters, but judged that she could study one   
for five minutes and still make it to school with time to spare.  
She approached the poster and studied it carefully, starting   
from the top and slowly moving her way down to the bottom.   
After a few minutes, she frowned slightly. She couldn't understand   
it at all. She could read the words easily enough, even though the   
kanji was somewhat sloppy, but could derive no immediate   
meaning from them in their current sequence. The drawings, at   
least that's what Rei assumed they were, were even more obtuse.   
She couldn't understand what that depicted.  
Rei started at the top again. 'Amusement Park.' Together   
they made no sense to her, so she decided to try to analyze them   
individually. Amusement -- The state of being entertained or   
pleased. Park -- 1. An expanse of enclosed grounds set aside for   
recreational use. 2. A stadium or an enclosed playing field. 3. To   
put or leave a vehicle at a certain location.  
Rei dismissed the third definition of park as being   
grammatically incorrect. Besides, she had never heard parking   
one's vehicle being described as entertaining or pleasing. The   
second seemed to make the most sense in this context, for she   
knew that playing or observing sporting events could be often be   
described as pleasing. But she could find nothing resembling a   
sporting event depicted on the poster. There was also nothing   
resembling the park in which she had just passed, so all of her   
current definitions of 'park' failed to meet the required criteria.  
  
Having finally gotten to school and seated herself to   
prepare for another day, Rei hadn't forgotten about the 'amusement   
park' poster, she had simply stopped thinking about it. That was   
until she heard the term repeated several times in whispered   
conversations around her. From what she could gather from these   
conversations, this 'amusement park' was something that had just   
re-opened on the outskirts of Tokyo-3. Some students were   
interested in going, others were not, and there were some who   
worried about not having enough money to pay for it.  
Rei put it into the back of her mind once class had begun   
for the day, though it was brought once more to the foreground   
when it was mentioned over lunch. Rei realized that she only   
could learn so much from listening in on other people's   
conversations, and it had become obvious to her that it would not   
be enough to discover what an 'amusement park' actually was.  
Her next course of action was clear, ask someone about it.   
She spied pilot Ikari having lunch with two other boys and made   
her way over to him. She felt confident that he knew what this   
'amusement park' was.  
  
"Woah, look who's coming your way, Shinji," Toji said as   
he nudged the boy in question.  
"What are you talking about?" Shinji asked, who was trying   
to finish the last of his sandwich.  
"Ikari-kun, may I ask you a question?"  
Shinji nearly choked on his food after the sudden   
appearance of his fellow pilot. "Um, sure, Rei. What is it?"  
"What is an amusement park?"  
Shinji blinked at her, not being able to understand how she   
couldn't know what one was. However, he could tell by her look   
that she was completely serious.  
"It's a place you go to have fun," Toji said, trying to help   
out.  
Rei nodded as she turned her gaze on him. "Hence   
'amusement.' How is it one has fun there?"  
Toji screwed up his face in thought. Kensuke started to say   
something then stopped. Eventually, both of them turned to Shinji,   
who was currently feeling a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny of   
three sets of eyes.  
"I don't know," he admitted. "I've never been to one."  
Toji and Kensuke groaned.  
  
It had been a bad idea, Rei reflected afterwards, to have   
asked pilot Ikari in the first place. Whether he had the experience   
or not, he seemed to have difficulty in expressing himself to others.   
What Rei needed was someone who had no such difficulty.  
"What are you looking at, dummkopf!?" came a shout from   
around the corner of the school.  
Recognizing the voice, Rei went to investigate. Pilot   
Langley never seemed to have any difficulty in expressing herself   
to others.  
  
"So what do you want, Wondergirl?" Asuka asked in some   
irritation when the blue-haired girl had approached her.  
"Langly-san, may I ask you a question?"  
For a few moments they only stared at each other in silence.   
"Well?" Asuka finally snapped.  
"What is an amusement park?"  
"You don't know that? Are you stupid or what?"  
"I have never heard the term before today."  
"Well, there are rides that you go on, and you eat junk food,   
and you play stupid games, and you just waste your entire day on   
it, spending too much money... is any of this getting through,   
Wondergirl?"  
"Yes, but why is this considered amusing?"  
Asuka thought for some moments before replying, "It... it   
just is, okay?"  
  
Again Rei realized that she had made a mistake. While   
Asuka had no difficulty in expressing herself, she also had no   
talent or patience in explaining concepts to others. Now Rei knew   
she required someone with experience in relating concepts.  
  
Because it was a half-day, a syncronization test had been   
scheduled for that afternoon. After the test, Rei decided to pose   
her question once more.  
"Dr. Akagi, may I ask you a question?"  
Ritsuko put down the reports she had been studying and   
looked at the First Child quizzically. Rei almost never spoke to   
her, and this could be the first time that she had asked her anything.   
"What is it, Rei?"  
"What is an amusement park?"  
"Huh?"  
"What is an amusement park?" Rei asked again, though   
slower and more careful in pronouncing each word.  
Ritsuko frowned. If it had been anyone else, she'd thought   
that they were making fun of her, but since it was Rei, she knew   
this was all serious. "Why are you asking me this? Why not ask   
the commander?"  
Rei nodded and left.  
"What the heck was that about?" Ritsuko thought out-loud   
as she went back to her reports.  
  
"There is no way for me to avoid this?" Commander Ikari   
asked of his second-in-command.  
"Afraid not. It was part of the contract you signed with the   
UN," Fuyutuski pointed out with a slight smile.  
"You find this amusing, don't you?" Gendo accused.   
"Come on, Ikari. It won't kill you to have a day off."  
"Perhaps not, but what it would be is a pointless waste of   
my time. Time I do not have to spare."  
"One day isn't going to make that much difference to the   
project."  
Gendo's frown deepened. "Can't I count our trip to   
Antarctica for this?"  
Fuyutuski shook his head. "As the head of NERV, you   
must take at least one day a month off from all work-related   
activities. Sometime to do with avoiding too much stress, I   
suppose."  
"Hmm... Maybe I could visit Yui's grave again."  
That was when the phone rang, which Gendo immediately   
answered. "Yes, what is it?"  
"Pilot Rei Ayanami to see you sir," said a voice that Gendo   
recognized as one of the MiBs posted at his door.  
"Send her in," he told him and hung up.  
Fuyutuski picked up some papers and said, "I'll ready   
myself to take command tomorrow. Have a nice vacation."  
Gendo frowned as he left, but said nothing.  
  
Gendo was thinking over his forced vacation tomorrow as   
Rei approached his desk. It didn't matter what he did, he realized,   
anything that wasn't related to NERV in some way held no interest   
for him. However, having the time to think about the project while   
not being in the middle of it was appealing. It could help him to   
see things in a better light.  
"What is it that you want, Rei?" Gendo addressed the First   
Child when she finally stood before his desk.  
"Commander Ikari, may I ask you a question?"  
Gendo nodded.  
"What is an amusement park?"  
The commander thought for a moment before answering.   
"An amusement park isn't something that can be easily explained.   
It can only be experienced."  
"Understood." Rei made a note to come to Commander   
Ikari first with issues like this in the future. He was always able to   
explain things clearly so she could understand them. While this   
answer brought her no closer to understanding the concept of an   
'amusement park,' it did explain while the others had difficulty   
explaining it to her.  
"Why do you ask, Rei?"  
"I saw posters advertising an amusement park on the way to   
school and wished to understand what one was."  
Gendo leaned on his steepled hands in thought again.   
"Tomorrow we will visit this amusement park together. Be ready   
and outside your apartment at 9:00 tomorrow. Tell no one of this.   
Dismissed."  
Rei nodded and left.  
Gendo picked up the phone again and began making   
arrangements.  
  
Normally on Sunday, Rei would be out the door of her   
apartment at 8:00 as she was on other days. However, on this day   
her destination would be the public library, in order to return the   
books she had read last week and take out ones to read for the next.   
She always took out seven books, one for each day.  
The round trip could take her upwards of an hour and a   
half, that is going to and back from the library, dropping off the old   
books, searching for the new, and checking them out. Since   
Commander Ikari had told her to be ready at 9:00, that was   
unacceptable. Waking up earlier was also not an option, since it   
meant getting less sleep, which could impair her ability to pilot. In   
the end, she decided to go on Monday after school, though the   
change in her established schedule filled her with unease.  
  
Akira straightened the black uniform over his massive   
frame and joined his rookie partner down in the car pool. He had   
worked as the commander's bodyguard for a while, but his old   
partner had been transferred recently. He hoped the new guy   
would be able to handle it.  
Taki was already there, glancing over the NERV official   
vehicles as he fixed his dark glasses, which didn't seem to fit his   
face right. They both had problems finding things in their size in   
Japan. "So which one we taking?"  
"That one," Akira told him, pointing out an unmarked four   
door black sedan.  
"What, not the limo?"  
Akira shook his head. "Boss doesn't like the limo. Too   
conspicuous."  
"So what's it like guarding Commander Ikari?" Taki asked a   
bit nervously as he slid into the passenger seat.  
Akira thought for a moment as he took the driver's seat.   
"Working for the boss is real simple. You just do what he tells you   
and make sure other people stay the hell out of his way."  
  
Akira stopped the car right before Commander Ikari, who   
waited right at the entrance of the pyramid. Keeping the motor   
running, Akira leapt out of his seat, opened one of the back doors   
for Gendo (who nodded to him and took his seat), slammed the   
door shut, got back into the driver's seat, and started off again. All   
of this was accomplished in a few seconds. Akira knew that the   
commander didn't like to be kept waiting.  
"Where to, commander?" Akira asked, keeping his eyes   
before him, even though he didn't need to since they were currently   
riding the car train.  
"To pilot Rei Ayanami's apartment."  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Hey, Akira," Taki whispered to his partner after checking   
the rear-view mirror for about the fourth time. "There's definitely   
some guy tailing us."  
Akira glanced back. They had left the car train several   
minutes ago and were now only a few blocks away from Rei's   
apartment. "Oh, that's just Kaji," Akira replied at a normal   
volume. "Does this all the time."  
"All the time?"  
"Yeah, don't worry about it. He's harmless."  
  
Kaji was bent over the steering wheel, his eyes never   
leaving the black sedan that was a few cars ahead of him. He had   
to keep close enough so he wouldn't lose them, but far enough   
away so they wouldn't suspect.  
Kaji couldn't help smiling. He knew something big was   
going to go down today, something really big. No way did he buy   
that story about Commander Ikari taking a day off. He wouldn't   
stop working even if they forced him to. It had to be a cover for   
something more... insidious.  
  
Akira saw Rei waiting on the curb, wearing her school   
uniform, and staring vacantly out into the street. He pulled up right   
next to her, but she only continued to stare. Akira tapped his   
partner and gestured to the door. Taki nodded and got out, opened   
the door for Rei and closed it after her when she got in. Getting   
back in his own seat, they drove off again.  
For a while the drove in silence. The car was specially built   
so they could barely hear the noise of the traffic outside as they   
moved away from Tokyo-3 and out into the surrounding   
countryside.  
Taki only stared out the window, unknowingly mimicking   
the actions of Rei who sat behind him. Both Akira and Gendo   
stared straight ahead, seeming to take in everything and nothing all   
at once.  
Then Taki began to tap his fingers on the arm rest, until   
Akira tapped him on the shoulder and slowly shook his head. Taki   
wanted to know why it wasn't good to make noise now, but was   
somewhat afraid of breaking the silence. More specifically, he was   
afraid of what Commander Ikari might do if he did. Not only was   
he the boss, but he had a certain reputation for making people who   
displeased him vanish.  
  
Akira quickly pulled into a space right next to the entrance   
of the amusement park, cutting off someone who had started to   
pull in.  
"Bastard!" the guy in the other car shouted, "You took my   
fucking space!"  
Akira glanced over at the man from behind his dark glasses,   
gesturing to himself with mock-surprise.  
"Yeah, you, jerk-off. Get that thing out of my god-damn   
space before I come over there and kick your ass!"  
Akira slowly got out of the sedan and went over to the   
man's car. The man looked up and up, but he couldn't quite see   
Akira's face. All he could stare at was Akira's dark uniform, which   
did little to conceal his massively muscled chest. There was also   
the little matter of the holster and pistol he wore.  
"Is there a problem, sir?" Akira asked, his voice polite.  
"No, no problem," the man replied nervously. "You had   
that space fair and square. I'll just go find another one."  
Only after the man had driven off did Akira allow himself   
to smile.  
  
"Man, I can't believe you just did that," Taki said as he got   
out of the sedan. "The boss is going to be pissed."  
Akira smiled in reply and opened the door for Gendo.   
"We're here, sir."  
Gendo adjusted his glasses and looked around as he stepped   
out of the car. Rei stepped out of the car once Taki opened the   
door for her, but she only stared right at the entrance to the   
amusement park and no where else.  
Commander Ikari nodded to Akira. "Good work," he told   
him, and then turned to the First Child. "Come along, Rei."  
Gendo and Rei walked side by side towards the ticket   
counter, the two MiBs following close behind.  
  
Since it was Sunday, there was a line nearly a kilometer   
long waiting for tickets. It even stretched down into the parking   
lot. Gendo looked as if he didn't even see the line as he walked   
straight for the ticket booth. Rei stayed by his side, eyes   
permanently fixed on the entrance to the amusement park.  
Akira moved to follow them, when Taki grabbed his arm.   
"Where are you going?"  
"With the commander."  
"But that's cutting in line!"  
"So?"  
"That's... it's just wrong!"  
"Look, our job is to protect the commander and the first   
child, right?"  
Taki nodded.  
"So how are we going to protect them if were stuck in this   
line for ten minutes?"  
"You're right. Screw this, let's go."  
  
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" the man next in line   
yelled at Commander Ikari as he cut in front of him.  
Gendo didn't seem to notice.  
"I'm talking to you, asshole!" the guy shouted, reaching out   
to Commander Ikari.  
Suddenly, the iron grip of a very large man stopped his   
arm's forward progress. He looked up and up to find dark glasses   
staring coldly down at him.  
"Get back in line, sir," Akira told him. His voice was still   
polite, but there was an edge to it now.  
The man was about to protest, when an equally large man   
joined the first. Then he nodded almost sadly, felt the grip loosen   
on his arm, and returned to the line.  
  
The ticket lady was about to yell at the man for cutting in   
line, but after taking a good look at him, not to mention the   
imposing men behind him, decided against it. They didn't pay her   
enough to deal with that.  
Gendo fixed her with a stare and said, "One adult and one   
child, please."  
"But there are four of you."  
"There is only myself and the young lady."  
"But what about...?" Under his stare, she decided it was   
best not to question him. Instead, she took his money and gave   
him the tickets.  
"We're not going to pay?" Taki asked his partner.  
Akira smirked. "Special rule. All government agents over   
2 meters tall get in free, especially when they're armed."  
Gendo accepted the tickets, handed one to Rei, and went on   
to the entrance, where a man exchanged their tickets for a hand   
stamp and let them enter the actual park. The man only hesitated   
for a moment before stamping the white glove that the commander   
presented him with.  
The man noticed that Akira made no move to hand him a   
ticket. He glanced up as if to say, "Where's your ticket,   
dickweed?"  
Akira made a fist in response, as if to reply, "I've got your   
ticket right here, jerk-off. Want to make something of it?"  
The man shook his head and let Akira and Taki pass   
unmolested.  
  
Kaji's appreciation for Commander Ikari's deviousness went   
up a notch after seeing them pull into the amusement park. One   
could almost believe he really was taking the day off, especially   
when he was taking one of the children with him. That is if it were   
anyone but Ikari, and any child but Rei. They had as much   
business being in an amusement park as he had in a gay bar. It was   
the perfect front for a meeting with Seele though.  
Not having two baboons to guard him all the time, Kaji   
knew he couldn't just boldly walk to the front of the line, but he   
couldn't just wait in the back either. Who knows what they could   
be up to while he was waiting for tickets?  
Using the tricks of his trade, Kaji attempted to sneak past   
the ticket booth, only to be stopped by a pair of legs that more   
resembled tree trunks. Kaji looked up to see a very large, bald,   
mustached man wearing a tiger skin like Tarzan.  
"Now what do we have here?" the man asked, arms   
crossed, in heavily accented Japanese.  
"I was just looking for something I dropped," Kaji replied a   
bit nervously.  
The man effortlessly picked him up by the back of his shirt.   
"You can look for it at the end of the line then."  
  
Rei stared at the cartoon squid design the stamp had made,   
in bright green ink on her pale skin. She rubbed at it, smudging the   
drying ink. Seeing the commander undergo the process, she had   
simply followed suit, though Rei couldn't help but wonder what   
purpose it served. "Commander, why did the man do this to my   
hand?"  
Gendo glanced at the same design which now marked one   
of his white gloves. "That is so if we have to leave the park, we   
can show them this and we won't have to pay again to get back in."  
"I see. So if there was an Angel attack, we could return to   
the amusement park after it was over and not have to pay to get in   
once again."  
Gendo nodded and glanced around at the amusement park   
which now lay before them. "What would you like to do first,   
Rei?"  
Rei stared out over the amusement park for the first time.   
At first glance, she found a number of similarities to the park that   
she passed every day on the way to school. This too had it's share   
of greenery and people walking along paved pathways that cut   
through them. However, there seemed to be many more people   
strolling about, and much less greenery. There wasn't a single tree   
in sight.  
In their place, were stands selling various things, a few   
buildings, most of which whose purpose was not readily apparent,   
and quite a few contraptions, some of which reached a level of   
oddity of the Angels they fought. These were the things depicted   
on the poster, though Rei was equally curious about the purposes   
of everything. It was all beyond her experience.  
"The layout of this amusement park seems to be circular in   
nature," Rei said after a few moments of thought. "Would it be   
acceptable to follow the right-hand path and experience everything   
along that way until it returns us to this point?"  
Commander Ikari nodded, and taking Rei's hand again, lead   
her to the first ride.  
  
No one spoke up when Gendo cut to the front of the long   
line waiting for the merry go round. But as they waited for it to   
stop spinning, a little girl tugged at Rei's uniform and whined, "I'm   
next, I'm next!"  
Rei slowly turned around and stared down at the girl, red   
eyes unblinking. After a few moments, the girl hugged her father   
and sobbed, "She's scary, daddy! Do something!"  
The father patted her daughter, telling her it was all right,   
while nervously staring up at the two big men, who looked down at   
him, arms crossed, as if daring him to say anything.  
Rei only slowly turned back around to face the ride, her   
expression indifferent.  
"Where would you like to sit, Rei?" Gendo asked after the   
ride had finally stopped and everyone had gotten off.  
Rei had been unsure whether the commander would leave   
this choice up to her or not, so she had already selected a place just   
in case. She walked up to the two-person sleigh that was being   
pulled by four reindeer, and said, "I would like to sit here,   
commander."  
Gendo nodded and took a seat. After a moment, Rei sat   
next to him. They both say silently, staring straight ahead as they   
waited for the ride to start.  
Akira stood behind the commander, holding onto a pole   
that ran through a sea lion. Taki attempted to sit on the turtle   
behind Rei, but quickly got off when the cheap plastic began to   
give under his weight.  
"They don't build this for everyone, I guess," Taki   
commented once the ride had slowly started up again.  
Gendo stared straight ahead as the organ music began to   
play and the ride began to revolve around, the animals going up   
and down. At first, Rei glanced around, to the fake pipe organ, the   
plastic animals with their paint peeling away, to the crowd that   
waited for their turn, but eventually she ended up staring straight   
ahead like the commander.  
Arika and Taki kept their eyes on Gendo and Rei the entire   
time. No matter what the circumstances, they were still on the job.   
Besides, when Taki looked anywhere else, he started to get dizzy.  
"I do not understand," Rei said after the ride had finally   
come to a stop and they proceeded to the exit. "The ride does go   
around, in a circle over and over, but how is this considered   
'merry'? What was the point of going around in circles?"  
"The merry-go-round is a ride only understood by small   
children. One can not say one has truly experienced an amusement   
park until one has ridden on it at least once, however," Gendo   
replied.  
"She's not the only one," Taki commented to his partner. "I   
don't get it either. Why is that ride so popular? I've had tests   
that've been more exciting than that."  
"The merry-go-round is the elevator music of amusement   
park rides," Akira replied.  
  
The next stop for the commander and Rei was the fill up   
the balloon game.  
"Why don't you try this game, Rei?" he told her.  
Rei nodded. "What is my objective, commander?"  
"You must strike the target and fill up your balloon before   
the other competitors do."  
"Understood."  
"Hey, is it okay if I try this game?" Taki asked his partner.   
"I used to love it when I was a kid."  
"Sure, just as long as you don't do better than the First   
Child."  
Commander Ikari turned to Akira and nodded. Akira   
returned the nod and began muscling his way through the crowd of   
mostly kids and a few adults, pushing Rei before him. The man in   
the booth looked about to protest, but quickly changed his mind   
when Akira slowly shook his head.  
Taki followed in the wake created by his partner and took   
the station next to Rei's as Akira stood behind the both of them like   
an overprotective father. Three kids took the remaining stations.  
"Ready, get set, go!" the man in the booth shouted.  
Rei carefully aimed the gun at her target and pulled the   
trigger, her balloon steadily growing. Taki did the same, though   
his aim was a little off as he was concentrating more on making   
sure Rei's balloon was bigger than his, rather than winning.  
Rei blinked once when her balloon suddenly popped.  
"All right, we have a winner!" the man in the both shouted,   
sounding relieved. Then he turned to address Rei, "And what prize   
does the little lady want? You can pick anything in my booth."  
Akira studied the sign which proclaimed the number of   
wins needed for each tier of prizes, but said nothing.  
Rei glanced at the rows and rows of stuffed animals with   
indifference, until her eyes fell on a four-foot-tall bear wearing   
dark sunglasses. "I would like that one," Rei told him, pointing out   
the bear.  
The man nodded and handed it to her. "Enjoy," he told her,   
though his eyes were on Akira.  
With an arm around the neck of the stuffed animal, Rei   
once again took the hand of Commander Ikari as he lead her to the   
next amusement.  
  
Rei stared at the cars smacking into each other, blinking   
with every collision. "Isn't the name of this ride redundant,   
commander? All cars already come equipped with bumpers."  
Gendo adjusted his glasses and replied, "The title refers to   
both the special bumpers which surround the car and the objective   
of this game, which is to bump into the other drivers."  
"Understood."  
"Shall we try this, Rei?"  
"Yes."  
Akira once again used his considerable bulk to push his   
way to the head of the line, Gendo and Rei following right behind   
him, and Taki bringing up the rear. There were shouts and   
protests, but no one was quite brave enough to do anything about   
it.  
"So what's our objective?" Taki asked Akira asked as they   
waited for the current game to stop.  
"We're running defense for them, sort of like in American   
football. We make sure they can bump whoever they want, but   
don't get bumped themselves. You guard the first child, while I   
cover the commander."  
"Sounds like fun," Taki replied as he cracked his knuckles.   
"Played football in high school until I was kicked out."  
"For what?"  
Taki grinned. "Unnecessary roughness."  
"Figures."  
Gendo only stared up at the sky as he waited for his turn.   
Rei studied the current game intently. Neither said a word.  
Selecting a blue car, Rei sat down and carefully set the   
stuffed bear next to her, putting the seat-belt over the both of them.   
Seeing this, Taki smiled slightly as he got into a green car, and   
ignoring his seat-belt. She could be like a real girl sometimes after   
all. Gendo choose a purple car, tightening his seat belt, while   
Akira got into the red one next to him.  
With the hum of electricity, the cars started up once again.  
Gendo sought out and bumped each driver mercilessly, all   
except for Rei and the two MiBs. He seemed to be totally ignoring   
the large sign about no head on collisions since that was the sort of   
thing he caused the most. He even swerved around, causing other   
people to bump into each other. Akira was careful to block any   
attempt for revenge, though most were a little unnerved by the   
expressionless man who always stared straight ahead while driving   
like a maniac.  
Rei was a much calmer driver. She moved in a slow circle   
and bumped when the opportunity presented itself. Taki deftly   
wove around her to block all attempts to strike her while not   
becoming a target himself. She had already bumped Akira once,   
but avoided the commander even when she had the opportunity.  
The cars all coming to a halt, Rei removed the seat-belt,   
carefully adjusted the bear's glasses, and took it with her as she   
followed Gendo do the exit, the MiBs right behind the both of   
them.  
  
Kaji cursed to himself as he looked around. He had finally   
gotten into the amusement park and there wasn't a sign of the   
commander or his party anywhere. It wasn't like they'd be   
inconspicuous or anything, but Kaji had a problem with who to   
ask. There was a chance that everyone in the park was working for   
Seele. He was pretty sure that strong man was anyway, blocking   
his way like that. In fact, everyone who was at the park could be in   
their employ. To such a powerful secret organization, populating   
an amusement park would be a trivial task. Still, he wasn't going   
to get anywhere worrying about everyone.  
Stopping a random passer-by, he asked, "Did you see a   
stern-faced man with dark glasses and a goatee around here   
anywhere? He had a blue-haired girl and two large men with him.   
He parked right behind me and I can't get out."  
"Yeah, I saw that asshole," the man replied bitterly. "His   
thugs pushed everyone out of the way so the girl could play the   
balloon game. Even the guy in the booth was scared of them.   
Gave the girl a prize you needed six wins for, when she only had   
one. I was standing right next to the jerk, but I ain't stupid enough   
to say anything. Gotta be a yak boss or something."  
Kaji nodded. Sounded just like something the commander   
would do, but he was a little suspicious of the prize. That could   
have been a way of Seele passing on something, like secret   
documents. Kaji remembered seeing that used in a movie once.   
"Did you see which way they went?"  
"Yeah, I think they went in the direction of the bumper cars   
that way, but if I was you friend, I'd just enjoy myself here and stay   
the hell away from them. There's just some people you shouldn't   
mess with."  
Kaji nodded, and then was off walking briskly, in pursuit of   
his quarry.  
  
Ever since winning the bear, which she currently held by   
the neck as she glanced around at the attractions all around her, Rei   
had become much more interested in the games than the rides. The   
rides seemed rather pointless to her, a waste of time, though the   
commander seemed interested in the bumper cars.  
The games she appreciated much more because she   
understood them. Each one had an objective. If you achieved the   
objective, then you received a prize as a reward. If you lost, you   
would practice until you won, thereby improving your skills, with   
the prize as an incentive to achieve success.  
Rei now lead the way for their group, as the commander   
had instructed her to. Her eyes scanned over the brightly colored   
booths in search of...  
There was a game that seemed relatively uncomplicated   
and, unlike most of the other booths, there were few people waiting   
for their turn.  
She stopped before the coin toss booth and told the   
commander, "I would like to attempt this game."  
"All right, Rei," Gendo told her. "This time, your objective   
is to toss the coins to get them to land on the plate without falling   
off."  
"Understood."  
Gendo nodded to Akira, who got out about a dozen ten yen   
pieces and handed them to the commander, who handed them to   
Rei. The commander took her bear for her. Akira was about to   
accept it from him, but Gendo seemed content to hold this himself.  
Since there was so few people at this booth, Rei was able to   
go right to the front herself. After a nod from Akira, Taki followed   
and stood close to her, while the other MiB remained with the   
commander.  
"All right, everybody gather 'round," the barker laid out his   
line of patter. "Toss the coins on the plate and win a prize!"  
He was smiling on the inside as well as the outside when he   
saw the small, blue-haired girl walk up with what was obviously   
her bodyguard. Probably daughter of a Diet member, out for a   
little fun. No way she'd be able to land the coin on the plate and   
she'd probably keep trying and trying too. Maybe he'd give her a   
consolation prize after she spent a thousand yen or so.  
Rei studied the plate before her closely, then she held up   
one of the coins in her right hand, judging its weight lying on the   
flat of her palm. She took a small breath, and with a flick of the   
wrist, sent the coin flying.  
It landed flat on the plate, dead center.  
The barker's eyes went a little wide seeing this, but then   
reassured himself that anyone could get lucky with their first try.   
Besides, this could be exactly what he wanted. That first win will   
keep encouraging her no matter how much she lost after it.  
Rei repeated the exact same procedure with her second   
coin. This one too landed in the middle of the plate, nudging the   
previous one out of the way, but not enough to make it fall from   
the plate. And so for the next, and the next, until she had a neat   
little pile of ten yen coins stacked on the plate.  
Rei blinked in surprise to realize that she was out of coins.   
As she turned to get more, the barker interrupted her. "Look, you   
can have any prize in my booth if you'll just stop playing!"  
Rei's eyes glanced around the booth, until they stopped on a   
orange tiger with sunglasses, only a little smaller than the bear she   
had already won. "I'll take that one."  
The barker practically shoved the animal into her hands.   
"Here, take it! Take it and go!"  
Rei nodded, and went back to Commander Ikari.  
Taki smiled at the man and said, "A pleasure doing   
business with you."  
The man only frowned in response.  
  
"Are you hungry, Rei?" Gendo asked her.  
Rei thought for a moment. "A little."  
Gendo stopped before one of the snack booths that lay all   
scattered around the park. It was still too early to have lunch.   
Besides, he had only asked because he was feeling a bit peckish   
himself, but not ready for anything significant.  
Gendo glanced over the contents of the booth, noting the   
cotton candy, corn dogs, caramel apples, fudge, pretzels, all with   
equal interest. Rei only stared blankly at the man running the   
booth, who somewhat nervously looked back at her.  
"Man, I'm starved," Taki told his partner as he glanced at   
the display. "Set my alarm to the old time and had to skip   
breakfast so I wouldn't be late. Think I'll have a corn dog."  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Akira cautioned. "You   
don't want to go on some of these rides with something like that in   
your stomach."  
"Hey, I can handle it. I pulled black bag duty for three   
months before this. After that, I can handle anything."  
"I'll have a pretzel," Gendo told the man running the booth,   
then turned to face the first child. "What would you like, Rei?"  
"I will have a caramel apple," Rei replied, her eyes   
flickering back and forth from the barker to the commander.  
The man quickly gathered those items and handed them   
Gendo, accepting the money at the same time. He breathed a sigh   
of relief when those red eyes finally turned away from him for   
good. He didn't think of himself as racist or anything, but he never   
knew albinos could be so scary.  
So he was almost grateful that the two men with dark   
glasses were next, even though they towered above him like two   
black monoliths. Anything was better than that girl.  
"Yes, can I help you?" he said to them cheerfully.  
Both Akira and Taki were a little taken aback. No one was   
happy to see them, especially strangers.  
"Yeah, I'd like a corn dog," Taki said after a moment.  
Still smiling, the barker handed him the item in question,   
while accepting his money. He turned to face Akira and asked,   
"And for you, sir?"  
"Nothing for me, thanks," Akira replied. "I know better."  
  
Once again joined by their bodyguards, Gendo and Rei   
found a bench to sit on. Akira immediately pulled out a rag and   
cleaned off the bench, after which they all sat down, Gendo and   
Rei in the middle, and Akira and Taki to either side of them.  
Rei took dainty bites of the apple, careful not to get any   
caramel on herself. Gendo picked at his pretzel, pulling off small   
pieces of it before popping those in his mouth. The stuffed bear   
rested on his lap. Taki took three large bites of his corn dog,   
finishing it quickly. Akira glanced at his partner doing this and   
sadly shook his head.  
That was when a man in a large purple suit that vaguely   
resembled a dinosaur appeared almost out of nowhere and waddled   
over to Rei, bending down to look her in the eye.  
"Well, hi there little girl," he said to her in a comical voice.   
"Are you having fun at this here amusement park?"  
Rei only stared back at him for a few moments before   
finally replying, "No."  
The seemed to deflate the purple dinosaur, but only for a   
moment. He spied what she was eating and said in the same tone   
as before, "Oh, a caramel apple. I bet that tastes yummy!"  
Rei glanced at the caramel apple, staring at it for a while,   
before finally bringing her eyes back to the man in the suit before   
her. "Not particularly."  
The purple dino deflated again, and looked like he was   
about to give up, when he noticed the stuffed tiger Rei held by the   
neck. "Oh, what a keen prize. Did your daddy win that for you?"  
Rei looked away from the cartoon reptile, down at the tiger   
when she held in her arm, up to Gendo who was smiling very   
slightly, and finally back at the man-dino, who waited for her   
answer.  
"I won this toy in the coin toss myself by landing twelve   
coins on the plate, and the commander is not my father."  
The purple dinosaur slumped away, defeated.  
  
Rei decided that a ride should be next. Mainly because she   
understood them the least, and decided that she may better   
understand them the more she has experience with them. Besides,   
the only games she could currently see seemed to be variations on   
the two she had already played.  
She stopped before a strange building. She could only tell   
it was a ride because there was a sign which read 'ride in service,'   
though it appeared to have originally included 'not' which had been   
scratched out. Another sign proclaimed the ride to be something   
called the 'Turkish Twist.'  
The building was mostly white, except at the top where it   
was capped by a purple protrusion, It was surrounded by four   
spires, similarly capped, and a stairway that ran to the top. The end   
result was a vague resemblance to something Rei had seen in her   
history book called the Taj Mahal.  
"I would like to try this ride, commander," she stated   
firmly.  
Gendo nodded, handed the bear to Akira, who handed it to   
Taki, took the tiger from Rei, and handed it to Akira. Then he   
followed her inside.  
Akira moved to follow, but was stopped by the hand of his   
partner. "Hey, we don't have to actually go on this ride, do we?"   
Taki asked somewhat nervously. "We can just watch them from up   
top."  
"Our job is to stay by their sides at all times." Akira   
frowned. "I told you not to eat that corn dog."  
"No, that's not it. I'll be completely fine," Taki lied. "I just   
don't think I'll be able to shoot anyone when I'm spinning around   
like that."  
"After inhaling that corn dog, that'll be the least of your   
worries," Akira told him, pushing him inside.  
Taki couldn't shake the suddenly feeling of dread that   
overwhelmed him as he went inside.  
  
Rei emerged from the ride and blinked at the bright   
sunlight. Gendo came out a moment later, straightened his glasses,   
and took her hand. Akira walked out next, though he was   
stumbling slightly, still having not fully recovered from his bout   
with dizziness.  
Taki was... green. He had to hold onto one of the posts for   
support, clinging to the stuffed bear he held.  
Finally having fully recovered his own balance, Akira   
smirked at him and said, "After you've been to the Graveyard a   
couple times, your stomach turns to iron. If you want to keep your   
job."  
Taki looked back at him bleary-eyed. "I want to die," he   
said slowly.  
"You'll get used to it," Akira replied, patting him on the   
back.  
"Urgh," Taki said suddenly, covering his mouth, and   
running to a nearby garbage can, emptying his stomach of the corn   
dog and last night's dinner besides. Akira was quick enough to   
grab the stuffed bear so it didn't get splattered.  
  
Kaji kneeled down by the trash can when he saw Rei   
emerge from the Turkish Twist ride. His luck had to be changing.   
It hadn't been hard to follow their trail, Gendo and his party stuck   
out worse than undertakers at a baptismal, but by it was still pretty   
much hit and miss, asking people in hopes they had run across   
them. For him to find them this quickly had to be a good sign.   
Now all he had to do was to stay with them without them knowing.   
With his vast array of spy skills, that should be a piece of cake.  
Wait, one of Gendo's security goons was running over his   
way. Had they spotted him that quickly? Kaji didn't like to think   
what might happen to him if they caught. Okay Kaji, everything's   
cool, just keep here and they won't see you. Whatever you do don't   
panic.  
*Hurf* *Wleah* *Blecch*  
Kaji flicked some of the... stuff that had missed the trash   
can and landed in his hair. "Great," he whispered to himself.   
"Now where's the nearest restroom?"  
  
The next building they stopped before proclaimed itself to   
be the 'Second Impact Arcade.' Rei noted that this building looked   
even more run down than the others and there were the sounds of   
multiple explosions coming from inside. She looked up to the   
commander for an explanation.  
Gendo studied the facade as he told Rei, "This building   
houses a collection of electronic games, from the title I assume   
ones created prior to the Second Impact."  
Rei nodded and went into its relatively dark interior, Gendo   
and the two MiBs following close behind her.  
Looking at Akira, Gendo gestured to the change machine   
near the door. The MiB nodded and exchanged some yen for   
tokens which he handed to the commander. Gendo gave most of   
these tokens to Rei, who was currently glancing around at all the   
machines there.  
Rei's first stop was the bank of pinball machines that lined   
part of the right-hand wall. She studied them all intently for some   
moments, frowning slightly. Yet more things that she could   
discern no purpose for.  
"Pinball machines?" Taki whispered to his partner, just out   
of hearing of their charges before them. "These things must be   
relics."  
"Hey, I was a wiz at pinball when I was younger," Akira   
replied, sounding slightly insulted. "Always had the top score on   
the pinball machine at the local arcade."  
"Probably because no one else played it."  
"An ancient form of electronic game," Gendo explained to   
Rei. "One that never quite died out. The goal is to use the paddles   
to move the ball and score points while making sure to never let   
the ball get past those paddles."  
"Understood," Rei replied and inserted a coin into one of   
the machines.  
Pulling back and letting it go, Rei tracked the ball with her   
eyes, though her head remained still. In fact, the only part of her   
body moved was her eyes, that was until the ball was just about to   
hit one of the paddles, then with a twitch of her fingers, she used   
the paddle and sent the ball flying again, redirected to one of the   
high scoring targets.  
Taki glanced at his watch. At least five minutes had passed   
and Rei was still on her first ball. She had already beaten the high   
score and was well on her way to doubling it. She had gathered a   
small crowd of onlookers around her, who ohed and awed every   
time she scored a big bonus, which she did about every 15 seconds.   
Akira and Taki made sure the crowd kept their distance though.  
"How many more points do I need to win a prize,   
commander?" Rei asked suddenly, her eyes still on the pinball.  
"None. There are no prizes for pinball."  
With a small frown, Rei turned away from the game, letting   
the ball fall back into the innards of the machine. Seeing this, the   
crowd groaned, including Akira. Rei, however, had already moved   
on to the other machines.  
She passed rows of old arcade games, eyeing each of them   
with indifference. Asteriods, Dragon's Lair, Jambo Safari; none   
captured her eye, until she reached a few shooting games that were   
all near each other. The one she eventually stopped before was   
called 'Virtua Cop 2.'  
Rei picked up one of the light guns in her hand, which had   
been molded to resemble a real gun, and hefted it experimentally,   
as if judging its weight. "This is not a real firearm," she stated.   
"What is it used for?"  
Gendo passed by House of the Dead 2, which was looping   
it's intro. He paused as the scene change revealed a man behind a   
desk, wearing a dark suit and dark glasses, hands steepled before   
him. Gendo smirked, adjusted his own glasses, and moved on.  
Gendo walked up to the game and picked up the other gun,   
holding it casually in one hand. "You use these light guns to shoot   
the enemies that will appear on the screen. It's like a crude version   
of the EVA simulator. Would you like to try it, Rei?"  
Rei nodded and inserted a few tokens. Gendo did the same.   
She held her gun firmly in both hands, already pointed at the   
screen, while Gendo held his limply at his side.  
"What is my objective, commander?" Rei asked, her eyes   
never leaving the screen as the intro started to play.  
"Shoot all the enemies and power ups, while sparing the   
civilians. Remember to reload often."  
"Understood."  
Rei and Gendo each worked their own side of the screen   
effectively, though they had very different styles. Gendo seemed to   
hardly be paying attention, snapping off the targets as almost an   
afterthought, though he always got them before they got him.  
Rei was completely focused on the screen, her eyes tracking   
every movement, firing only when she had to, though always   
precisely. She never missed.  
Akira and Taki leaned against one of the machines, arms   
crossed, and watched their charges undergo a very simplified   
version of the training they had at least once a week. They came to   
two conclusions; Gendo had handled a gun before, and Rei had   
either undergone the same training they did or was a very talented   
beginner. It was a little unnerving the way she killed the civilians   
as well as the criminals though.  
"Why are you shooting the civilians, Rei?" Gendo asked as   
the game tallied their scores for the previous level.  
Rei turned to face the commander, though kept her gun   
pointed at the screen. "How can I be certain they are not enemies   
disguised as civilians? I thought it was best to shoot everyone to   
be safe. Have I misunderstood, commander?"  
"Play however you choose to do so, Rei," Gendo replied.  
Akira and Taki couldn't help noticing that in the second   
round the commander was shooting the civilians as well.  
Taki walked up to Virtua Cop 2, picked up one of the guns,   
and inserted a few tokens he had gotten while Rei had been playing   
pinball.  
"What are you doing?" Akira asked as watched Gendo and   
Rei starting on another game a few machines down from them.  
Taki smirked. "I'm going to beat their high scores. It's not   
like they'd care, right? The way they just walked away from it in   
mid-game like that."  
"Probably because they got to level three without being hit   
once," Akira replied. "I'd be bored too."  
"Yeah, well for me that should be a piece of cake too."  
Five minutes later, 'game over' flashed on the screen.  
"Damn, how could they be better than me at this?" Taki   
nearly shouted, throwing down the light gun in disgust.  
Akira only smiled in reply.  
  
Rei blinked a few times to be out in the bright sunlight   
again, after the darkened interior of the arcade. She glanced   
around at the amusement park as if seeing it for the first time. A   
nearby tower caught her eye, probably the tallest thing in the park.   
It was this she went towards, the commander at her side, and the   
MiBs following.  
There was a big yellow sign that proclaimed 'Demon Drop'   
in fiery letters, which were next to a grinning devil, complete with   
pitchfork and pointed tail. There was another sign under it which   
listed all the people who should not go on this ride, such as people   
with heart conditions, the elderly, small children, etc.  
Rei studied this smaller sign for a time before turning to the   
commander and asking, "Am I allowed to go on this ride? I am   
uncertain."  
Gendo barely noted the second sign. "If you want to, Rei."  
Rei nodded and walked to the ride, Gendo following close   
behind.  
"You going to be okay with this?" Akira asked his partner   
as they followed their charges.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine now," Taki replied with a small smile.   
"Nothing left in my stomach anyway."  
Rei moved to enter the ride, only to be stopped by the man   
running it. "Now hold on here! I think you're a little too young   
for this ride."  
Rei only stared back at him, though he refused to be   
intimidated.  
Akira moved to deal with the situation, but the commander   
stepped in front of him. He turned to the man and asked, "Is there   
some problem?"  
The stares of both Rei and Gendo were a little too much for   
the man, however, and his voice was nervous when he replied.   
"Well, it's just your daughter here is a little too young for this ride.   
Safety reasons, you know. They could fire me for letting her on."  
Gendo made not attempt to correct the 'daughter' remark,   
instead saying, "She is older than she appears. She will have no   
difficulty with this ride."  
For some moments the man and the commander only stared   
at each other, until the man finally broke down and said, "All right,   
she can get on. But don't go suing the park if anything happens."  
Gendo adjusted his glasses with a single white-gloved hand   
and told the man, "I assure you that will not happen."  
The man let all four of them in, closing the door behind   
them. Somehow, what the commander had said made him feel   
even less secure than before.  
Taki helped strap Rei in while Akira assisted the   
commander. All the while, the car rapidly climbed to the top of the   
tower. Rei stared out at the park that was now below her while the   
two MiBs strapped themselves in. Gendo only stared straight   
ahead.  
Finally having reached the top, their car moved forward a   
bit, leaning over the precipice, and then it fell.  
Taki had had to clamp his jaw shut from yelling out. It   
didn't help that none of his companions made so much as a   
whisper. Akira just sat there, keeping his eyes on Rei and the   
commander, looking normal except for the wind making his hair   
stick straight up. The commander still stared straight ahead, but   
there was a very slight smile on his face now. Rei looked down at   
the ground rapidly approaching, her hair fluttering in the breeze.   
Her expression was bored, as if this was just another day at school.   
Taki couldn't help wondering if he was in the wrong line of work.  
Each of them confidently exited the ride, though in Taki's   
case it was slightly forced. Gendo fixed his glasses again, glancing   
at the park around him. Rei continued to look at the ground for   
some time, before tilting her head back to look up at the top of the   
tower where they had just been.  
"I still do not understand," she said, too softly for anyone   
else to hear.  
  
Though Taki was feeling all right, he was still glad to see   
that Rei had chosen a much milder ride for their next amusement.  
Rei stared at a mockup of a ruined old-fashioned mansion,   
complete with skeletons and ghosts painted on the sides of it, and a   
sign above proclaiming this to be a 'Haunted House,' which dripped   
with painted blood.  
"Is this building actually haunted?" Rei asked the   
commander.  
"Well, of course it is, young lady!" the man running the ride   
spoke before Gendo had the chance to. "In here you'll see things   
that'll chill you to the bone!"  
The man took a step back when Rei turned to face him, her   
red eyes falling on him. He couldn't help noticing how pale she   
was, like a ghost herself, when she frowned slightly at him and   
said, "I was not speaking to you."  
The man swallowed audibly and noted the two large men   
with the girl that were smirking at him. He shook his head slightly,   
embarrassed that he let a little girl intimidate him so.  
"Sorry about that, little girl," he told her with a smile that   
was only slightly forced. "Just trying to be helpful and answer your   
question for you. No harm in that, is there?"  
"I am not a little girl," Rei stated firmly, before turning   
away from him to face the commander.  
"Why don't we go on this ride, Rei?" Gendo asked her.   
"That way we can see for ourselves whether it is actually haunted   
or not."  
When Rei nodded, the man running the ride released a   
breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  
They all piled into the same cart, though it was a bit   
crowded for Akira and Taki in the back, along with the two stuffed   
animals. Rei sat, hands in her lap, Gendo, hands at his sides. Both   
stared at the black curtain before them and waited for the ride to   
begin. With a sudden lurch, the cart began slowly move towards   
the curtain.  
The first scene they were presented with was of a sinister-  
looking one-eyed man, gleefully using the guillotine on his victim   
over and over. Next to him stood an iron maiden, out of which a   
ghoul jumped out as they rode past. All the while evil pipe organ   
music played, punctuated by screams and the wails of ghosts.  
"Geez, this is so lame," Taki complained to his partner.   
"My apartment is scarier than this." Of course, with the dim   
lighting it was hard to see much with their dark glasses on.  
"Remind me to never visit," Akira replied.  
Rei, watching blood spew endlessly from a severed torso,   
said nothing. Instead, she looked up to the giant spider that hung   
in it's web overhead, its glassy eyes shiny even in the dim light.   
Then they turned another corner.  
Suddenly, the wails increased and a thing resembling a   
puppet dressed in a bedsheet jumped out at them. Rei only   
regarded it with indifference.  
"What was that, commander?"  
"It was supposed to be a ghost, Rei."  
"Should I be frightened of it then?"  
"No."  
The lighting dropped to nearly nothing and the sound was   
now mostly the chirping of crickets and the hooting of owls. Fake   
trees and bushes lined their path, along with a dozen pairs of   
glowing eyes. Rei noted with interest that her school shirt was   
now glowing as well and chose to study that over her surroundings.  
A drawbridge opened and they entered a castle of all grey   
stone. The lighting increased somewhat, though it flickered now   
like torches. The sounds of a pipe organ increased while bats flew   
awkwardly on visible strings.  
They finally reached the pipe organ, and as they passed, the   
player turned to regard them coolly. Akira and Taki startled, while   
Gendo and Rei studied the musician with interest. His slack, pale   
face was expressionless while his red eyes stared at them with   
indifference. Dye his hair blue and remove his fangs, he could   
have been Rei's older brother.  
Everyone blinked as they emerged out in daylight once   
again.  
Rei thought that the haunted house had been somewhat   
interesting, though not scary in the least. She had faced much   
worse in her duties as an EVA pilot. And she didn't believe that it   
was really haunted either. They were just puppets, nothing more.  
  
After leaving the haunted house, Rei took special note of   
the two stuffed animals she had already won, currently being   
carried by the two MiBs that accompanied her and the commander.   
She decided that it was time to try and add a third one to her   
collection, and started to look around for a booth where she could   
do this.  
"Miss!" a man in a small booth called out to her as she   
passed. "Allow me to guess either your age, weight, or the month   
you were born in. Stump me and win a prize!"  
"Birth month?" Rei asked inquisitively as she turned to face   
him.  
"All right, birth month it is!" the man shouted and made a   
show of being deep in thought. "I guess you were born in...   
September, right?"  
Rei glanced at back at the commander, who thought for a   
moment before saying, "Incorrect."  
The man in the booth didn't seem particularly bothered by   
his failure. "Okay, you stumped me fair and square. Now you   
have your choice of a prize."  
Rei studied those offered carefully. A few stuffed animals,   
but all quite small and without dark glasses. Other trinkets which   
were either uninteresting or unknown to her. Her eyes eventually   
settled on a giant inflatable hammer, which reminded her of   
someone for a reason she didn't quite understand. This she pointed   
out to the man, who handed her the item and wished her a good   
time.  
Rei stared at the hammer she now held in mild puzzlement   
as she moved on.  
  
She almost forgot entirely about the hammer when she   
noticed that in the next booth one of the prizes was a large stuffed   
Chesire cat with dark sunglasses. What the actual game was, Rei   
was uncertain. It seemed be mostly composed of pyramids of   
small, aluminum milk bottles.  
"This game might be a little too hard to you, little girl," the   
barker told her when she looked up at him. "Why don't you get   
your daddy to try it?"  
"Commander Ikari is not my daddy," Rei told him,   
pronouncing 'daddy' as if she was not entirely sure what it meant.  
The man blinked. "Well, your uncle then. You need a   
strong throwing arm for this, so it just might be a little tough for   
you."  
Rei ignored him, instead turning to face the commander.   
"What is my objective here?"  
"You must knock down one of the pyramids with a   
baseball. It is mainly a test of strength."  
"Understood," she replied, handing him the hammer, which   
he passed on to Akira.  
Rei turned to the barker again. After a few moments when   
he only stared back at her, she finally said, "I wish to play now."  
The barker shrugged. "All right, but don't blame me when   
your ball doesn't even reach the bottles."  
Rei studied the ball the barker handed her, testing its feel   
and weight in her right hand. Then she studied the pyramid of   
bottles before her intently, her eyes narrowed slightly. Rei took a   
small breath, and then her arm was a blur as it let the ball go.  
The ball smacked into the pyramid with a loud clank,   
sending all the bottles too the floor, making sounds like the echoes   
of that strike. It seemed that Rei had used a little too much force,   
for the ball ricocheted against the back wall, flying out of the booth   
altogether. Taki had to duck to avoid getting his glasses ruined,   
not to mention his face.  
"That is some throwing arm you have there, miss," the   
barker told her, sounding much impressed, after handing over the   
stuffed cat. "Ever thought of trying out for professional baseball?"  
"No," Rei answered honestly, taking her prize and moving   
on. The barker could only shake his head in confusion.  
  
Kaji cursed when he saw the commander and company   
emerge from the haunted house. That could have been the perfect   
place for an information exchange and he had to miss it because he   
was too busy cleaning that... stuff off of him. Not even his cologne   
could disguise the smell, unfortunately.  
Still, they made no move to leave the park, so maybe he   
still had a chance to find out what was really going on. Kaji found   
it odd that Rei seemed to be leading the way, though rationalized   
that was probably yet another ruse to throw off spies like himself,   
not that Kaji was so easily fooled.  
He hid behind a sign as he watched Rei try her hand at yet   
another game, though he didn't suspect she'd have much luck with   
this one. No hiding behind garbage cans anymore for him, he'd   
learned his lesson about that.  
Kaji happened to glance down to see that one of his   
shoelaces was undone. Cursing and retying it quickly, he couldn't   
help noticing the spherical object rocketing towards him as he   
looked back up. As he fell to his knees, clutching his hands   
between his legs in extreme pain, Kaji had only one thought. *God   
hates me.*  
  
Now holding a large stuffed cat by the scruff of the neck,   
Rei walked away from the small collection of games booths, no   
longer interested in playing them at the moment. For now, she was   
satisfied with her collection of prizes. Besides, they had all been   
too easy so far. Understanding the rides was more of a challenge.  
Rei stopped before the largest ride she had seen yet. It was   
many times of the size of anything they had ridden on before,   
stretching about a fourth of the length of the park. That's not really   
what caught her eye, however. It was the fact that the whole entire   
looping structure of it had been recently repainted a bright pink,   
standing out even against the colorful backdrop of the rest of the   
amusement park. It was to this that she headed towards.  
"What an eyesore," Taki said, sounding nearly in awe as he   
glanced up at the giant pink structure that loomed closer as they   
walked towards it.  
Akira was silent for a few moments as he just stared at it.   
"Maybe they did that to attract more female patrons," he finally   
said.  
"You've got to be kidding."  
Akira shrugged in reply. It was the only reason he could   
think of.  
Both MiBs stared at the billboard-sized sign that   
proclaimed this roller coaster to be the 'Pink Lightning' in   
lightning-bolt-shaped letters. Obviously, they were trying to make   
it sound cool, but the two only had to look up at the pink rails   
above them to see that it really wasn't working. Rei and Gendo   
ignored the sign, moving on.  
Despite its ridiculous appearance, the roller coaster had a   
long line for it. The commander bypassed the line by walking   
straight to the car as it rolled to a stop and people began to get off.   
He took a seat at the front, Rei sitting right beside him. Both MiBs   
paused for a bit, exchanged glances, then shrugged and took the   
seats behind them.  
This caused a minor uproar. Whatever the reason they had   
painted the thing pink, this roller coaster seemed to attract large   
burly men, who were not all happy when someone cut in front of   
them after having waiting in a line for over a half hour under the   
summer sun.  
"Excuse me, sir," a woman, who was one of several people   
who operated this ride, said to Commander Ikari. "I'm afraid that   
you'll have to wait in line like the others."  
Gendo turned to face her, adjusting his glasses with a single   
white-gloved hand until they caught the light so that the shine from   
them nearly blinded the woman. "That will not be possible."  
"Why?" the woman asked, sounding exasperated as the   
crowd grew louder.  
"Because I dislike waiting."  
While this was going on, Akira decided to take matters into   
his own hands by having a friendly chat with the actual operator of   
the ride. The chat mostly consisted of him making a fist,   
repeatedly smacking it loudly into his other hand, and grinning,   
while the ride operator looked ready to wet himself at any moment.  
"You see, everything would go much easier for everyone if   
we just let the boss have his way," Akira told the man in a mock   
friendly tone. "Because when the boss doesn't get his way... well,   
let's just say that bad things seems to happen all of the sudden, if   
you know what I mean. You wouldn't want my boss to get upset   
with you, would you?"  
The ride operator nervously shook his head. "N..no, sir," he   
stuttered out.  
"So why don't you start the ride now? That way we can   
peacefully resolve this little situation we find ourselves in. I don't   
like violence myself, but sometimes find it unavoidable."  
"But..."  
"You don't want me to resort to violence, do you?" Akira   
asked, punctuating his question with his meaty fist striking his   
palm.  
The man swallowed noisily and frantically shook his head.  
Akira grinned, showing his white teeth, and patted the man   
on the back, perhaps a bit harder than necessary. "I'm glad we   
could come to an understanding."  
Akira turned to leave, but then turned around again and   
said, "By the way, what kind of moron paints a roller coaster   
pink?"  
"The boss is cheaper than dirt," the man explained, only a   
bit nervous now. "He ordered a bunch of black paint, but we got   
shipped pink instead. Since the company didn't want to deal with   
the shipping expenses of exchanging the paint, they offered that   
pink stuff at a major discount. So we were forced to use it. Hasn't   
seemed to hurt the ride's popularity though."  
Akira hopped back in the seat, just as the shoulder restraints   
came down and the car slowly started up. The woman that had   
been talking with Gendo nearly jumped in surprise as she got out   
of the way. The commander himself only looked back for a   
moment to nod to Akira, before turning around to face forward   
again.  
"What did you do?" Taki asked his partner, barely able to   
hear himself speak over the increased shouting of the crowd of   
people still waiting in line.  
Akira grinned and said causally, "Just had a little talk with   
the ride operator. Instructed him in the finer points of the   
commander's point of view."  
"In other words, you threatened him until he gave in."  
Akira's smile widened, but he didn't reply.  
Rei and Gendo both faced forward as the roller coaster   
slowly made its way up the first hill with a loud clicking sound.   
Rei had wrapped both arms around the neck of the cat as she stared   
at the top of the hill above them. She didn't feel fear, but neither   
was it indifference. She found herself interested in what would   
happen once they got past that first hill. She looked forward to the   
ride down.  
The commander looked much like he would sitting at his   
desk, only his hands were steepled on the roller coaster car instead.   
His expression was neutral, though if it was due to guarding his   
emotions or indifference, only he could tell.  
Taki and Akira both smiled lightly, looking down at the   
amusement park below them, growing smaller and smaller.  
Like the Demon Drop, there was a moment where it   
seemed to stop on the edge, and then they fell.  
Taki couldn't stop himself from crying out for joy as the   
Pink Lightning tore down the looping track at high speeds, the   
wind rushing through his hair. He had to snatch his glasses quickly   
to avoid getting them blown right off his face. He quickly noted   
that his partner had already taken off his some time before.  
Akira exchanged glances with his partner, smiling and   
laughing. For him, and he guessed Taki as well, riding the roller   
coaster was like being a kid again.  
Rei made no audible sound, even if the wind rushing past   
her face wasn't there to snatch it away, but her mouth was open and   
her eyes were slightly wider than normal as she stared at the   
twisting track before her. Somehow, it held her interest.  
Minus the strong wind fluttering his short hair, the   
commander looked the same as when the ride had started. There   
might have been a small smile on his lips for a moment, but it was   
lost in the rush of the roller coaster tearing down the tracks.  
Once the roller coaster had finally come to a complete stop,   
Gendo stepped off, adjusted his glasses, and offered his hand to   
Rei to help her off. She took his hand and they both confidently   
walked to the exit.  
Akira and Taki were a bit more wobbly as they stood and   
put back on their sunglasses. Taki stared at the back of the   
commander's head for a time, before shaking his head and saying,   
"I don't get it."  
"What?" Akira asked.  
"You were watching the commander pretty closely the   
entire time, right?"  
Akira nodded.  
"I didn't see him take off his glasses, did you?"  
His partner shook his head.  
"He's not wearing any sort of strap for his glasses or   
anything, so how did his glasses stay on his face the whole time we   
were on the roller coaster?"  
Seeing Taki's perplexed expression, Akira threw a friendly   
arm around the shoulders of his new partner and told him, "If   
you're ever going to cut it at this job, you better learn quick that   
there are just some questions you don't want to know the answers   
to. Just don't think about them. You'll sleep better."  
Taki nodded, and they both followed their charges back to   
the amusement park proper.  
Just before going on to the next thing, Gendo looked back   
to the roller coaster one final time. "Maybe I should have Unit-01   
re-painted pink."  
"I do not think Ikari-kun will like that."  
"I know."  
Taki snickered at that.  
His partner nudged him. "Don't ever laugh at the   
commander's jokes!"  
"Why?" Taki asked, puzzled.  
"Because it would hurt his rep."  
  
Their travels had now taken them to a large open air   
restaurant that lay in about the middle of the park. Gendo studied   
it for a moment with interest, before saying to Rei, "Would you   
like to have lunch now?"  
Rei thought for a moment, then nodded.  
They had all seated themselves at a white plastic table with   
white plastic chairs, complete with large umbrella, once Akira had   
cleaned everything up with a rag first. Menus had already been   
placed at their table and they each took one and studied it with   
interest.  
"What would you like to have, Rei?" the commander asked   
her.  
Rei studied the menu intently for a while, reading it over   
several times. "I believe I will have some juice," she said, still   
staring at the menu. "Do nachos contain meat?"  
"I do not believe that these nachos will have any meat with   
them. They are corn chips covered in melted cheese."  
Rei nodded. "Then I will try the nachos."  
"Very well," the commander said to her, straightening his   
glasses. "I will have the barbecue ribs."  
Akira nudged his partner. "So what's your order going to   
be? Another hot-dog?"  
Taki paled a bit. "I think I'll go with a hamburger this time,   
and a beer."  
Akira stood up, nodded to the commander, who returned it,   
and went to place their orders, while Taki stayed behind to watch   
over their charges.  
Taki felt an uncomfortable silence descend on the table in   
his partner's absence. He tried to avoid making eye contact with   
either the First Child or the commander, but he accidentally   
crossed paths with Rei, who stared back at him with what seemed   
to be indifference.  
Noticing that the commander was looking away from the   
both of them at the moment, Taki, acting on a sudden impulse,   
took the paw of the bear that he still carrying at had it wave at Rei,   
who blinked, but in no other way reacted.  
They continued to stare at each other for a time, Taki   
feeling more uncomfortable by the second, until Rei finally said,   
"I'm sorry, but I have no idea how to react to that."  
"Um, it's okay," Taki said softly, sure that the commander   
was going to scold him, perhaps even dismiss him, after hearing   
what Rei had said.  
The commander only watched as Akira walked back over to   
them, and said nothing.  
Akira dropped they tray in the middle of the table and   
started passing out the food. Mugs of beer to the commander,   
Taki, and himself, while Rei got her cup of juice. A rack of ribs   
for the commander, complete with small order of fries. Nachos for   
the First Child, hamburger for his partner, and for himself; a chili-  
dog with the works. At some unspoken signal, they all began to   
dig in.  
Taki started in on his hamburger like a starving man,   
washing down each bite with a gulp of beer. Akira showed a little   
more self-restraint, though it might have been more to avoid   
getting some of his chili dog on himself than table manners. Rei   
slowly took small bites of her nachos, taking special care not to let   
the melted cheese drip onto her fingers.  
The commander was the model of decorum and proper   
eating, despite the fact that he consumed the ribs with his hands. It   
wasn't as if he was putting that much effort into it, it was more like   
he was simply getting it done. He didn't gulp his beer or sip at it,   
he simply drank it. He didn't nibble at his fries or inhale them, he   
just ate them.  
Taki and Akira finished their meal sometime before the   
First Child and the commander, and sipped at their beer as they   
waited for them to finish. Taki noticed that the commander hadn't   
gotten even a dab of sauce on him, even his gloves, but decided to   
take Akira's advice and not think about it.  
Akira brought his glass up to take a sip, and looking at it,   
his eyes suddenly widened, though no one could see this with the   
dark glasses he wore. With a flick of his wrist, he dumped the   
remains of his beer on a bush behind them.  
"Why did you do that?" Taki asked, startled.  
Akira smirked. "Old family custom. It helps to keep away   
pests."  
  
Having finally recovered from the latest... incident, Kaji   
again relied on the luck of the commander making a big public   
spectacle, in this case at the roller coaster. After that, he'd been   
easy to track.  
Kaji was currently behind a bush, waiting for the   
commander to finish his ribs and get on to the secret meeting,   
when his stomach growled. He had missed breakfast in order to   
catch up with the commander in the first place and the few snacks   
he had had there just weren't cutting it. Debating the wisdom of   
losing track of the commander again so he could get something to   
eat, Kaji didn't notice the splash of beer until it hit him.  
Kaji groaned, though it was more over the pain of biting his   
own tongue to avoid shouting out, rather than the beer that now   
soaked his shirt.  
  
As they were exiting the eating area, someone happened to   
chomp down on a hot-dog and splash the commander with a small   
blot of mustard.  
Gendo looked down at the blot in surprise, then he nodded   
to Akira, who returned the nod with a grin. Akira tapped Taki on   
the shoulder and told him, "It's your turn to deal with the trash."  
Taki's grin was nearly feral as he took the arm of the   
offending man to haul him off to someplace private for a little   
'talk,' one that seemed to involve quite a bit of yelling from the   
man, which the others politely ignored.  



End file.
